Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-03-02
The REAL MARTHA WASHINGTON.
she was inclined 70 stoutness.-A Cur
tain Lecture-A Good wife.

She Was inclined TO Stoutness.-A Cur
tain Lecture-A Good Wife.
The private letters Of the time, and q
description here and an action there,
taken together, are the only materials for
making up the real Martha Washington
of the latter part of the last century. All
accounts agree that she was under mid
die size, and that, though we'll formed in
her early years, she was inclined to stout
ness after her marriage. don't think
her pictures, as engraved upon the new
one dollar silver certificates, give the
proper idea of her. The bust there dis
played evidently represents a very tail
woman; and Mr.. Andrews, the artist, in
his painting of Martha Washington,
which hangs as companion piece to
Stewart's S portrait of Gen. Washington in
the East room Of the White House, car
ries out the sanlo idea. The truth seems
to be that she was, in her latter days,
short and dunlpy rather than tall and
symmetrically shaped.
A queen is always beautiful, no matter
what be her face and figure, and no presi-
dents wife was ever anything else in the
eyes of the throng that went to her recep-
tions. The mild expressions of the time
concerning Martha Washington's stout
ness must be multiplied many times to
approximate the reality, and short, stout
women are seldom dignified. George
Washington was six feet two, and rather
thin than fat. The contrast between the
sizes Of the husband and wife must have
been very striking. and it is said that
Lady Martha was wont to attract her
liege lords attention by seizing him by
the button of his coat, and looking up
into his face.
Number five is rather a large shoe for a
lady under middle height; still, one of
Washington's s orders to London for his
wife's supplies, given shortly after he was
married, includes pair of black and q
pair Of white satin shoes of the smallest
fives, and her gloves were probably of tho
same generous proportions. Martha
Washington had nose inclined to
the Roman. Her hair was q chest
nut brown, and her eyes were q
dark hazel. A silhoutte made. Of her
shortly before her death by her grand
daughter, Nellie ,Custis, represents her
with short, fat neck and an immense
cap. It is said that she had a very sweet
voice, which flowed gently in ordinary
conversation, but which became quicker
when she grew excited. Miss Bremen,
the authoress, tells story of stranger
who, being entertained at Mount Vernon,
occupied bedroom adjoining that of the
general and his wife. The partition be-
tween the rooms was thin, and the visitor
plainly heard Lady Washington giving
the general curtain lecture. Martha
Washington brought the money into the
family and / doubt not she sometimes
asked the general the same question that
was thrown at him by Davy Burns, the
old Scotch farmer, who owned large
part of the land upon which our national
capital is built. This old man grew
angry at Washington about some real cs-
tate transaction, and spoke of him to his
face as an upstart, asking him where he
would have been had he not had the
good fortune to marry the rich Widow
Gusts.
Martha Washington was, however, a
good wife. There is ample evidence that
her whole being was wrapped up in that
of her husband, and it is equally certain
that George Washington dearly loved her.
Her grandson, Parke Gusts, says that
Gen. Washington wore miniature por-
trait of her upon his breast during the
whole of his married life. He liked to
have her with him whenever possible.
and, outside of the curtain lecture above
spoken Of, / find no evidence that their
matrimonial relations were anything but
the most loving Frank G. Carpenter IN
Cosmopolitan.